Myron Bolitar series
The Myron Bolitar series of thrillers are written by Harlan Coben with a series protagonist of the same name.
The Myron Bolitar series debuted with Deal Breaker (1995) and currently has 11 novels through Home (2016). A spin-off young adult book series featuring Myron's nephew Mickey Bolitar was created in 2011 with the release of Shelter.
The Bolitar series of novels have garnered four awards for Coben: an Edgar (for Fade Away), a Shamus (Drop Shot), an Anthony (Deal Breaker), and the RBA Prize for Crime Writing (Live Wire).
Characters
Myron Bolitar
The series protagonist is a formerly renowned basketball player and is the owner of MB SportsReps (or simply MB Reps in later books), an agency representing sports stars and celebrities. Bolitar is 6 feet, 4 inches tall and considered handsome by many women.
As often referred to in the character's back-story, Myron's basketball talents were apparent as early as the 6th grade. He was highly recruited and chose Duke University at Durham, North Carolina; his teams won two NCAA titles in four years. The Boston Celtics drafted him in the first round, the eighth pick overall. His Boston Celtics jersey number was number 34. In a pre-season game against Washington Bullets, he suffered a shattered knee, which ended his basketball career. Myron then returned to college, studying at Harvard Law School, and eventually became a sports agent.[1]
Two regular supporting characters in the Myron Bolitar series are his best friend, Windsor Horne Lockwood III (better known as "Win"), and his assistant at MB Reps, Esperanza Diaz. Win is an eccentric, philandering billionaire who frequently gets involved in Myron's cases. Win and Myron have both studied taekwondo in a Korean dojang, though it is clear in the storylines that Win is more advanced. Esperanza began as an assistant, but Myron makes her his partner in the seventh Bolitar novel (Darkest Fear) after Esperanza gets her law degree from New York University.[2]
Bolitar is depicted as being a good agent for his clients, taking care of their needs and wants while being careful to not exploit them like bigger agencies. He also helps out clients in times of personal need, which often puts him in the role of "accidental detective." His office space in the Locke-Horne Investments & Securities building is rented from Win and is located two floors below Win's. When Myron handles a client's career, he offers the client the choice of hiring Win for financial management. Win and Myron are both fans of Batman, often calling their transport the "Batmobile."[3]
Myron is from a Jewish background and seems to dislike his first name. He lived with his parents in the basement of his childhood home well into adulthood, not out of necessity but because he is very close to both of them. When his parents later moved south to a warmer climate, Myron bought their house. He also has a younger brother who died in a car crash and a nephew, Mickey, son of his late brother. His mother is a former lawyer herself, and his dad is a factory owner.
His favorite drink is chocolate Yoo-Hoo. He is shown to have a self-deprecating humor and drives a Ford Taurus, sarcastically described as a chick trawler in the books.
Bolitar's longest known relationship was with Jessica Culver, until she dumped him and walked out of his life. The novel Deal Breaker brings the ex-lovers face-to-face after not seeing each other for four years. It is clear in the book's storyline that he still harbors feelings for Jessica, to the disgust of Esperanza, who dislikes Jessica for the way she treats Myron. They start seeing each other but break up again in the novel One False Move, when Myron almost cheats on her with Brenda Slaughter. It is also revealed in the novel that Culver had cheated on Myron with Doug. Jessica marries Stone Norman in Promise Me.
Other prominent girlfriends mentioned in the books are Emily Downing, Ali Wilder and Terese Collins. As mentioned in The Final Detail, he met Collins at a charity function and they ran away to a distant island to drown their sorrows. Collins plays a major role in Long Lost. In Live Wire, Myron and Terese are engaged, and later in Home the two get married.
Esperanza Diaz
Esperanza Diaz is a fictional character in thrillers such as Drop Shot, Deal Breaker and Promise Me written by Harlan Coben.
Esperanza is introduced in the first book of the series, Deal Breaker, as one of Myron Bolitar's best friends, who works with him at MB SportsReps.
She is described as having a petite frame and dark eyes, and being of Latino origin. She was formerly a professional wrestler known by her stage name Little Pocahontas and was part of FLOW (Fabulous Ladies of Wrestling) organization. She was usually teamed with fellow female wrestler “Big Chief Mama” in her matches, aka Big Cyndi. (Big Cyndi becomes a receptionist for MB SportsReps.)
Esperanza is bright and irreverent, with a caustic wit. She never knocks before entering Myron's office as a habit. She is seen to get along really well with Windsor "Win" Horne Lockwood, III, the other partner in the firm. She is very protective of Myron, and dislikes Myron's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Jessica Culver, because she left Myron earlier.
She finished studying law in New York University by taking in night classes and is made a partner in MB SportsReps in book 7, Darkest Fear.
Windsor "Win" Horne Lockwood III
Windsor "Win" Horne Lockwood III is a fictional character created by Harlan Coben. He is the secondary character in the Myron Bolitar series. While the best friend of hero Bolitar, Win would best be described as an anti-hero, having some psychopathic tendencies. In many of the books, Myron and Win debate the ethical nature of various actions, often Win's.
Description
Introduced in the first book of the series, Deal Breaker, Win is a 31-year-old bachelor working closely with Myron Bolitar, his best friend since college. Win is also very close to Esperanza Diaz, Myron's assistant (and later business partner) whom he meets through Myron.
Win's hair is described as blond, perfect length, parted on the right side. His features are classical patrician, almost too handsome, like something crafted in porcelain. His attire is always thoroughbred prep—pink shirts, polo shirts, monogrammed shirts, khaki pants, golf pants, white bucks (Memorial Day to Labor Day), or wing tips (Labor Day to Memorial Day) on his feet. He is even said to have a strange accent, one that did not originate from any particular geographical location as much as from his prep school, Exeter. He is an excellent golfer, with a three handicap; he is a fifth-generation member of Merion Golf Club in Philadelphia; and a third-generation member at Pine Valley in southern New Jersey. He has a perennial golf tan, one of those where the color could be found only in the arms (short-sleeve shirts) and a V-shape in the neck (open alligator shirt). It is also said that Win’s skin never gets tanned—instead his skin burns. People are said to hate him on sight for his looks and money.
In the novel Home Ema Wyatt, the secondary character of the Mickey Bolitar series, Myron's nephew, and his girlfriend, appears as Win's secret daughter.
Traits
Win is a sixth-degree black belt holder in Tae Kwon Do, which is the highest ranking in the United States. He has been studying Tae Kwon Do since the age of five, and introduced Myron to Tae Kwon Do in college. Win brought an instructor, Master Kwan, from Korea fourteen years prior to the first novel to teach him Tae Kwon Do. Win loves to meditate, and does so at least an hour each day. His meditation method involves him sitting in the lotus position and watching sex tapes of himself with various prostitutes or one night stands. Throughout the books it is made clear that along with being one of the world's best hand-to-hand fighters Win is also proficient with a wide variety of weapons, at following people unseen, breaking and entering, interrogation and intimidation, marksmanship and well connected with intelligence agencies. Win and Myron worked for the FBI in an undisclosed manner prior to the start of the series. Win has continued to be a vigilante in various capacities throughout the series, often unbeknownst to Myron. In one of the more recent books it is shown that Win has been helping not only law enforcement in the USA but internationally, and that he may well be doing more vigilantism that ever. In the most recent books Win is now in his mid to late 40s and so it may be the case that he is trying to get as much done as possible before age forces him to retire, but this is speculation.
Win exhibits many traits that would class him as a high-functioning psychopath. He shows no aversion to violence and seems to enjoy inflicting pain and killing those he believes deserve it. He has a very high sex drive and almost no emotional attachments to other humans, Myron makes up one of only a handful of people Win seems to have any care in the world for. It is frequently observed his relationships with women tend to last a night at most. However, in two successive Bolitar novels (Long Lost and Live Wire) he spends most of his free time with the same Asian woman, named Mee, who doubles as a flight attendant on his private jet. He displays a high level of narcissism and can overreact to slights or threats.
Win does appear to have a moral code though it is not clear how strictly he follows it or what exactly it is. Win does not hurt innocents and indeed often sticks up for them, fighting for victims of abuse and persecution.
The origin of Win's maniacal drive to be a killing machine is partly revealed in Promise Me, when Win recalls taking a horrible beating as a young child from children his own age. He was terrified at the time and never again wanted to feel scared. This was his motivation to become a formidable fighter. It was noted in Back Spin though that Win was always cold even as a child and that he walked in on his mother cheating on his father at a young age, which damaged that relationship irrevocably.
Win owns the well-established Lock-Horne Investments & Securities, and he also owns his office building. Lock-Horne Investments & Securities covers 6 floors. Win has a corner office with a view of both 47th Street and Park Avenue.
Win and Myron are both fans of Batman, often referring to their transport as the "Batmobile". Win drives a racing green 1998 Jaguar XJR, often breaking traffic laws by driving it well over double the speed limit.
References
- Pierleoni, Allen (April 1, 2009). "Harlan Coben's fictional alter ego, Myron Bolitar, gets the adventure — but Coben got the girl". PopMatters. McClatchy Newspapers. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- Smith, Kevin Burton (August 2000). "Fathers and Sons and the Whole Damn Thing". january magazine. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
- Coben, Harlan (1996). Fade Away: A Myron Bolitar Novel. p. PT21. ISBN 978-0440338437. Retrieved November 24, 2014.